England vs Albania preview
Thomas Tuchel’s first game in charge as England manager gets underway on Friday night, as the Three Lions host Albania in a World Cup qualifier at Wembley.
So can the former Chelsea manager build on Gareth Southgate’s legacy of being effective, but not quite effective enough? Having signed an 18-month contract with England, Tuchel doesn’t have time for a lot of tinkering.
Henderson’s call up leaves supporters perplexed
The new coach’s team selection for Friday’s game has already left some England fans perplexed. Jordan Henderson has received a call up, despite the fact his powers seem to have waned in recent years.
Henderson notoriously accepted a big money move to Saudi Arabia from Liverpool in 2023, before hastily opting for a change of tack six months later, signing for Ajax in the Eredivisie. It’s fair to say the 34-year-old hasn’t exactly enjoyed a new lease of life, following his move to the Netherlands.
Henderson is in, but Cole Palmer is out for England; the Chelsea star is out with a muscle injury. Trent Alexander Arnold is also out with an ankle injury.
Regardless of those absences, how will England approach this opener under Tuchel? In recent years, the side have tended to breeze through qualifying rounds, before looking a little less surefooted at the tournament proper.
At the Euros last summer, England made it to the brink of glory, losing to Spain in the final. But for all that, Southgate’s side often looked unimpressive throughout the tournament.
Will Tuchel be able to maintain the mostly positive results – while also delivering an entertaining or even stylish brand of football? Clearly, I want the moon on a stick.
In any case, England should be in an optimistic frame of mind for this one, with a new coach looking to make a positive start. The side have won five of their last six outings, all in the Nations League, and will expect to see off Albania without too much trouble.
Kane has 21 league goals already this season
Harry Kane, so often England’s shining light, is in very decent form domestically this season, with 21 league goals for Bayern Munich.
He hasn’t found the net for Bayern in the Bundesliga in his last five league games, but with three goals in his last two Champions League performances you could hardly say Kane’s goals have dried up as he turns out for his country.
England to win and Kane to score is not an imaginative bet by any stretch of the imagination. But with Tuchel probably just looking to get that first win under his belt, maybe backing something obvious makes sense.
You could choose to back Kane to score and England to win, but the odds aren’t huge. Maybe we can dare to dream a little. The Three Lions did beat Albania 5-0 in a World Cup qualifier back in 2021; if you’re hopeful of a similar drubbing on Friday, you can play it relatively safe and back over 3.5 goals at 6/4.
Or you could just hope for a rerun of that recent meeting with Albania. England are 14/1 to win 5-0 here; that was the scoreline against Ireland in England’s last outing, back in November.
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